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World of New Genesis
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- Moloth – The Believer is Happy; the Skeptic is Wise
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A nice little parable…
http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~leonghw/Courses/cattywampus.html
Mr. Whitson taught sixth-grade science. On the first day of class, he gave us a lecture about a creature called the cattywampus, an ill-adapted nocturnal animal that was wiped out during the Ice Age. He passed around a skull as he talked. We all took notes and later had a quiz.
When he returned my paper, I was shocked. There was a big red X through each of my answers. I had failed. There had to be some mistake! I had written down exactly what Mr. Whitson said. Then I realized that everyone in the class had failed. What had happened?
Very simple, Mr. Whitson explained. He had made up all the stuff about the cattywampus. There had never been any such animal. The information in our notes was, therefore, incorrect. Did we expect credit for incorrect answers?
Needless to say, we were outraged. What kind of test was this? And what kind of teacher?
We should have figured it out, Mr. Whitson said. After all, at the every moment he was passing around the cattywampus skull (in truth, a cat’s), hadn’t he been telling us that no trace of the animal remained? He had described its amazing night vision, the color of its fur and any number of other facts he couldn’t have known. He had given the animal a ridiculous name, and we still hadn’t been suspicious. The zeroes on our papers would be recorded in his grade book, he said. And they were.
Mr. Whitson said he hoped we would learn something from this experience. Teachers and textbooks are not infallable. In fact, no one is. He told us not to let our minds go to sleep, and to speak up if we ever thought he or the textbook was wrong.
Every class was an adventure with Mr. Whitson. I can still remember some science periods almost from beginning to end. On day he told us that his Volkswagon was a living organism. It took us two full days to put together a refutation he would accept. He didn’t let us off the hook until we had proved not only that we knew what an organism was but also that we had the fortitude to stand up for the truth.
We carried our brand-new skepticism into all our classes. This caused problems for the other teachers, who weren’t used to being challenged. Our history teacher would be lecturing about something, and then there would be clearings of the throat and someone would say “cattywampus.”
If I’m ever asked to propose a solution to the problems in our schools, it will be Mr. Whitson. I haven’t made any great scientific discoveries, but Mr. Whitson’s class gave me and my classmates something just as important: the courage to look people in the eye and tell them they are wrong. He also showed us that you can have fun doing it.
Not everyone sees the value in this. I once told an elementary school teacher about Mr. Whitson. The teacher was appalled. “He shouldn’t have tricked you like that,” he said. I looked that teacher right in the eye and told him that he was wrong.
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Mmmm… delicious freedom of expression!
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This is my response to “a 25 y/o Muslim man”.
reddit_i_am_a_25_yo_muslim_man_here_is_my_opinion
I think it would be fair to have my voice heard, so I will make a few points on this issue.
1) I would like to start by saying this. I feel insulted by these pictures that people are posting, but I don’t think anyone should lose their life over this, that is extreme and ridiculous.
2) Please understand free speech. You absolutely have the right to say whatever you want, no one is stopping you. But, would you call a black person a n*gger to their face? Would you insult someone’s mother if you knew that she had just passed away? You have every right to do so, but you should have enough respect and class as a person not to. And if free speech really is the issue, then why aren’t you in an uproar that the word “fuck” is not allowed on TV. It’s the same principle right?
3) This is not satire, this is an insult. Muslims have been made fun of before. Even on South Park and team america ( remember “burka burka muhammad jihad” http://www.viddler.com/explore/thepurplepixel/videos/1/ ). No one was in an uproar over that stuff. This is a different level of insult.
4) The worst sin in Islam is to believe in idols, or associating partners with God. The reason we don’t have pictures of Muhammad is because the fear is that we would begin to worship him, or associate him as a partner with God (as the Christians did with Jesus).
5) Whether or not you believe in religion or God is not the point, the point is that you should not insult someone’s beliefs. If something means so much to so many people then it is a pretty douchey thing to just shit on it because you can.
6) I despise radicals and extremists as much as you.
7) Thanks for your time and consideration, sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors.
What is better… to be offended or to not be offended?
It is my opinion that it is better to not be offended.
How does one be not offended? One way is to never hear or see that which offends you. Unfortunately, this requires that the entire world beyond your head conform to what you happen to be concerned with. This is the most difficult, arrogant, selfish and freedom-destroying way to succeed at your goal.
Another way to not be offended is to no longer BE offended by what once offended you. Do you know that some black people, as a term of familiarity, call each other nigger (or ‘nigga’)? Or that some Christians say “God damn it!” as an expletive? This is taking what once offended you and forcing ownership of it.
If you are unable to see an image of Mohammad without worshiping it, then the fault lies not with the image (or the person who created it) but with YOURSELF for not being mature enough to handle such a mundane circumstance.
Of course, the same argument can, and should, be used for the burka. If you (as a Muslim man) cannot control your base, animalistic sexual nature on the mere viewing of a woman’s skin or hair, the fault lies not with the nature of the woman for having skin and hair, but with YOU for being unable to control yourself.
We KNOW that it is possible (and perhaps common) to not be offended when seeing an image of what one believes the Savior to be: Christians, Jews, etc do it all the time, all over the world.
We KNOW that it is possible to view a scantily-clad woman (or even a nude one) without being overcome by the urge to rape her: Billions of men do it all day, every day, all over the world.
The fault of your offended-ness is your own. You’re CHOOSING to be offended. Your actions, your beliefs, and your emotional state are largely under your own, sovereign control. With freedom comes responsibility. The Freedom of Speech has no corollary that you are Free from Being Offended.
I’m aware that what I’m suggesting is ‘unfair’. The fact that it, and the very nature of the world that we live in, is fundamentally ‘unfair’, in no way negates the truth or reality of it. I am suggesting that, instead of the world conforming down to your tastes, that you grow, adapt and evolve. It IS unfair that we must make concessions to the rest of reality… however, it is an inescapable fact that, while i find it unfair, that birds may fly under their own power and i cannot, i do not demand that all birds cease their flying in order to keep me from being offended by their blithe disregard for my predicament.
Instead, I accept truth, I accept reality, and i alter myself in light of it. Instead declaring a fatwa on birds flying (or people drawing pictures that i don’t like or women wearing blue jeans), i construct a hot air balloon to join them in my own way.
Perhaps Islam will mature and will lose the adolescent insecurity that has plagued it for the last few generations. There is room for any belief system that allows for other belief systems.
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Guys… there’s, like, a 100% chance im going to move to Sacramento, California in 4 weeks.
My company, IDMI, has a “Policy Tracking System (PTS)” that insurance companies buy/lease from us. We track all of their data… quotes, policies, checks, incidents, claims, state reporting, all of that junk.
Most of the time, the insurance companies just pay is for basic support and the occasional enhancement to their system. other customers, however, are willing to pay extra to have an IDMI employee work exclusively on their system.
One of our customers in CA has two such employees working out there in Sacramento. They’re Cali-local guys that we basically moved to OUR payroll so that they can work on that companies version of our PTS. Well, when one of them was here, at the Warner Robins office, he mentioned how swamped they were with work and how badly they needed someone out there with more experience with the PTS. Someone like me, with my knowledge and my attitude.
I just got back from a 3 day visit out there for the interview, offer and to look for a place to live. All three were successful!
This is a dream come true for me. the timing is perfect. I’ve been dying to get out of Warner Vegas (and GA) for years. I had decided that, with the close of my apartment’s lease this Summer, that i would move… perhaps to ATL, maybe Knoxville, perhaps to North Carolina… hell, maybe even back to my beloved Chattanooga.
But this.. this is perfect: a massive, earth-shaking change. A huge personal and professional opportunity. To northern California (of all places). The guys I’ll be working with are great. They’re smart, hardworking and care about what they’re doing. I’ll be part of a four-man team that runs the entire IT department for a multi-company corporation. My only boss will be the CEO of the company. This is srs biznss. But, you know what? I can do it.
I’ve got a lot of work to do in the next few weeks. I need to pack, tie up loose ends, and spend some time with people that are important to me before I drive cross country, with my beautiful, smart girlfriend, to my new awesome job in Northern California.
Nobody pinch me… i don’t want to wake up.
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You didn’t get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.
You didn’t get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.
You didn’t get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.
You didn’t get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.
You didn’t get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.
You didn’t get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war.
You didn’t get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in  Iraq.
You didn’t get mad when you found out we were torturing people.
You didn’t get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.
You didn’t get mad when we didn’t catch Bin Laden.
You didn’t get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.
You didn’t get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.
You didn’t get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.
You didn’t get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.
You didn’t get mad when the president ignored the clear and timely warning that terrorists were going to hijack planes and fly them into the WTCs.
You didn’t get mad when the weapons inspectors, who said there were no WMDs, were ignored.
You didn’t get mad when hundreds of thousands of people died in Iraq.
You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Â Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans…oh hell no.
Another thing I like to ask when they are spouting Fascism, Communism, Socialism…Explain those three tenets. I haven’t found anyone on the crazy right that even understands what these words represent.
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Speaking of concise lists, holy shit, this guy nails the Conservatives on dozens of points of hypocrisy, hyperbole and lies from the past several years… AND CITES HIS SOURCES. I would show this to the ignorant Conservatives i know, but, if they cant be bothered to read the Bills they vote against, they certainly wont read a list of facts that make them look bad.
An Open Letter to Conservatives.
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basically, how i see it (as expressed by EverySam on Digg):
Democrats: “We need health care reform”
Republicans: “Liberal fascists! Give us a majority and we’ll do it better”
Democrats: “Done, you have majority of both houses”
12 years later, health care is irrefutably worse in every respect for every single person in the United States
Democrats: “We need health care reform”
Republicans: “Liberal fascists! Americans are tired of partisan politics!”
Democrats: “OK, let’s compromise”
Republicans: “OK, get rid of half your ideas”
Democrats: “Done”
Republicans: “Too liberal, get rid of half your ideas”
Democrats: “Done”
Republicans: “Too liberal, get rid of half your ideas”
Democrats: “Done”
Republicans: “Too liberal, get rid of half your ideas”
Democrats: “Done”
Republicans: “Too liberal, get rid of half your ideas”
Democrats: “Done. Time to end debate”
Republicans: “Too liberal, we need more debate, we will filibuster to prevent you from voting”
Democrats: “OK, we’ll vote–sorry guys, debate is ended. It’s time to vote on the bill”
Republicans: “Too liberal, we vote no”
Democrats: “OK, it passed anyway–sorry guys.”
One month later
Republicans: “Wait–wait, OK, we have less of a minority now so we can filibuster forever.”
Democrats: “Sorry, the bill already passed, we need it to pass the House now”
Republicans: “But we have enough to filibuster”
Democrats: “Sorry, the bill already passed, we need it to pass the House now”
Republicans: “Liberal fascists! You haven’t listened to our ideas! You’ve shut us out of this whole process!”
Democrats: “Sorry, show us your proposal”
Republicans: “Smaller government”
Democrats: “That’s not very specific”
Republicans: “OK, here’s our detailed proposal–It’s our common-sense ideas we spent 12 years not enacting”
Democrats: “OK, we’ll add a bunch more of your ideas”
Republicans: “Liberal fascists! You included all these back-room deals”
Democrats: “OK, we’ll get rid of the back-room deals”
Republicans: “Liberal fascists! You’re using obscure procedural tricks to eliminate the back-room deals!”
Democrats: “No, we’re using reconciliation, which both parties have used dozens of times for much larger bills”
Republicans: “Liberal fascists! You’re pressuring Congressmen to vote for your bill! Scandal!”
Democrats: “It’s called ‘whipping’, it’s been done since 1789″
Republicans: “Liberal fascists! Can’t you see the American people don’t want this?”
Democrats: “This bill is mildly unpopular (40-50%), doing nothing (your proposal) is extraordinarily unpopular (4-6%)”
Republicans: “We need to start over! We need to start over!”
Democrats: “We should really consider voting–”
Republicans: “Liberal fascists! Start over! Clean slate! Common-sense! America!”
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This is the issue i run into every day of my life. This is why i question people. This is why i have to ask just how many catfish fillets are in a ‘half-order’ of ‘all you can eat’. This is why i ask questions of people who claim that the United States is a ‘christian nation’. Or that claim that evolution is a ‘debunked’ idea.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2011132171_pitts21.html
excerpt…
You see, like me, she can remember a time when facts settled arguments. This is back before everything became a partisan shouting match, back before it was permissible to ignore or deride as “biased” anything that didn’t support your worldview.
If you and I had an argument and I produced facts from an authoritative source to back me up, you couldn’t just blow that off. You might try to undermine my facts, might counter with facts of your own, but you couldn’t just pretend my facts had no weight or meaning.
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It is has been my firm belief,throughout my adult life, that no one really knows what the fuck they’re doing. The entirety of Western Civilization is built upon just keeping your head down and doing your job… there is no ‘uber kontoller’ who is either wisely or connivingly running the show from some mastermind’s vantage point. This is why i laugh at conspiracy theorists.
I know that in my personal and professional life, no one actual knows what they’re doing, yet we all manage to keep putting one foot in front of the other day after day.
In that vein, here is a wonderful article that articulates what it feels like to know that you dont know what the fuck you’re doing… and why thats actually not such a bad thing. http://jangosteve.com/post/380926251/no-one-knows-what-theyre-doing
To really understand how it is that no one knows what they’re doing, we need to understand the three fundamental categories of information.
There’s the shit you know, the shit you know you don’t know, and the shit you don’t know you don’t know.
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What if the secrets of quantum manipulation were actually quite simple? What if hyper-space theory and control were actually Iron Age developments?
I LOVE this short story by Harry Turtledove (“Eric G. Iverson”)*: http://textfiles.tonytee.nl/magazines/TANJ/tanj.070
I’d love to read more about this universe… heck, maybe even run a game based on it (i guess it might be like StarGate) or write my own stories in it. Just think, steam-punk, space travel, pirates and the Age of Exploration, as experienced by a modern-day human. Awesome!
*When Harry Turtledove first began to publish science fiction, his editor at Belmont Towers commented that he needed a more believable name in order to sell books. The editor suggested that the name be Nordic sounding and thus was born Eric Iverson. It should be noted, however that this same editor misspelled the pseudonym on the title page of Turtledove’s second novel, Wereblood.
Twenty publications later, Turtledove retired the Iverson name and began to publish under his own name The first stories published as by Harry Turtledove appeared in January 1986.
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